News

UVI Board Approves the Development Phase of Medical School; Major Gift Announcement Planned for April 25

April 19, 2014

Today, the Board of Trustees of the University of the Virgin Islands, in a unanimous vote, authorized President David Hall to commence the development phase for a medical school in the territory. The Board also approved a major gift agreement between Dr. Chirinjeev Kathuria, New Generation Power and UVI for the development phase of the medical school.

At 11 a.m. on Friday, April 25, at Government House on St. Thomas, UVI will announce a major gift by Dr. Kathuria, chairman of New Generation Power (NGP), for the development of a territory-wide medical school. Governor John P. de Jongh, Jr. and other government leaders will be present to share their support for this project.

“This announcement will signal the beginning of a major transformative event for the University and the Virgin Islands,” said President Hall. “Our partnership with Dr. Kathuria and NGP will dramatically improve the quality of health for all Virgin Islanders,” he added.

Dr. Kathuria, a global entrepreneur and innovator, has founded and built multiple businesses that have generated shareholder wealth and created numerous jobs worldwide. He founded NGP, a global developer, investor, owner and operator of infrastructure assets in three key areas – utility scale power generation, distributed generation, and mining exploration and extraction.

The University entered into a Power Purchase Agreement last August with NGP to construct a 3.1 megawatt solar energy system on both campuses. Construction is set to break ground next month.

The University is partnering with both of the territory’s hospitals – Schneider Regional Medical Center and Juan Luis Hospital – as well as Boston University School of Medicine for this project. UVI plans to involve the clinics and medical centers on all three islands in this endeavor.

For more information, contact the Office of the President at (340) 693-1000.